Loving the Tomix EVA 500 Shinkansen!

[malcoJOJO]

Really loving the Tomix EVA 500 Shinkansen. I had some issues with my layout that I had to address to get it to run properly - track and station items, but I dialed them in and...SO COOL! hehehehe 

Anyone else have the Tomix AND KATO versions? I was just curious about which looked and ran better.

 

 

[Suica]

I got mine as well. It is a brilliant model and I absolutely love it.

 

However, as with every Tomix Shinkansen model, I'm not really sold on the diaphragms. Kato is doing a way better job in that regard.

[JR 500系]

I just loved that picture with the Kodama ticket stud! Really appropriate!

[Yavianice]

Really loving the Tomix EVA 500 Shinkansen. I had some issues with my layout that I had to address to get it to run properly - track and station items, but I dialed them in and...SO COOL! hehehehe 

 

How about a showcase youtube video on your blog?  :)

[Robert46]

Nice pics Suica. :) I thought it was a model train show.. btw, is that a real kodama 500 EVA ticket?

[Suica]

btw, is that a real kodama 500 EVA ticket?

Yes it is. I always store tickets and other small items with the corresponding model.

[Martijn Meerts]

Mine is sitting at customs right now, probably won't get it before heading to Japan ...

[nah00]

At first I thought the paint scheme was going to be a bit much but once I saw the model it's absolutely gorgeous. Really eager runner too, I hardly have to throttle mine up to get it to fly. 

[cteno4]

I think just about everyone in JRM is getting one! Technically we can't even have two running at once!

 

Jeff

[gavino200]

Really loving the Tomix EVA 500 Shinkansen. I had some issues with my layout that I had to address to get it to run properly - track and station items, but I dialed them in and...SO COOL! hehehehe 

 

Anyone else have the Tomix AND KATO versions? I was just curious about which looked and ran better.

 

 

 

I only have the Kato EVA. I love it and am happy with the purchase. But I'd be interested in comparing it the your Tomix. I'm going to get a Doctor Yellow soon and am deciding between Kato and Tomix, so this might be a useful comparison for me.

 

Would be happy to compare speeds with you. But my longest sections have inclines so I could only measure an approximate velocity. I'll measure speed at full power and at 50%. 

 

Below are a few pros and cons.

 

1. Beautiful

2. Fast - similar to the E5

3. Great traction and good power - handles inclines no problem.

4. Motor car DCC conversion is fairly easy. I used Inobu's method using an EM13

5. Nice box and case, but the Tomix is nice too.

 

Cons

1. Cab light DCC conversion is very difficult. Not impressed that Kato didn't update the design. 

2. Nose cones are removable for no apparent reason. 

3. One odd thing is that the motor is capable of stopping very suddenly. There doesn't seem to be the same flywheel momentum that the E5/E6 have. If you switch directions while running at full speed (I know, not a prototypical thing to do) it switches direction so suddenly that it derails itself. Not really a problem, but a little odd.

 

I'd be happy to take any closeups if there are any details you want to see. 

 

BTW, have you DCC converted yours? How was it, and what did you use?

Edited February 27, 2017 by gavino200

[gavino200]

I got mine as well. It is a brilliant model and I absolutely love it.

 

However, as with every Tomix Shinkansen model, I'm not really sold on the diaphragms. Kato is doing a way better job in that regard.

 

I'm surprised to hear you don't like the diaphragms. I thought I remember people specifically praise the Tomix diaphragms over Kato. When I look at Tomix YouTube videos the cars seem more closely connected than the Kato cars. I assumed that was good. What don't you like about the diaphragms? The look, or how they function?

[Suica]

I'm surprised to hear you don't like the diaphragms. I thought I remember people specifically praise the Tomix diaphragms over Kato. When I look at Tomix YouTube videos the cars seem more closely connected than the Kato cars. I assumed that was good. What don't you like about the diaphragms? The look, or how they function?

 

The looks. It looks far from prototypical. They work great though.

This is the feeling I generally get from Shinkansen models. Tomix Shinkansen are built to run reliably. Kato ones however just look better.

Edited February 28, 2017 by Suica

[medusa]

Sign. That's why I buy Katos whenever possible.

[cteno4]

There is a downside to the kato 500 couplers (like the similar e4) get broken the most unfortunately. I'd probably have a new trainif I had a dollar ever time I've talked to someone online or at shows about how to get spare 500 coupler and how to fix the various bits that get broken.

 

Also the kato n700 while looking much better than the tomix was a nightmare to even run on kato double viaduct as a 16 car set.

 

Jeff

[gavino200]

 

Also the kato n700 while looking much better than the tomix was a nightmare to even run on kato double viaduct as a 16 car set.

 

 

 

Why was that?

[Suica]

While the Kato N700 coupler is one of the best looking it's abosultely unreliable and prone to breaking. See link

[cteno4]

It uses a bit larger diagram connector similar to the 500 but a bit bulkier. It causes the cars to derail A LOT I think by restricting movement at times on the coupling that the puts strain on the trucks/wheels and any track hiccup and it derails. I fiddled with mine a long time and gave up, it was derailing like 100x more than all other Shinkansens. Another club member got one a year or so later and same issue... never had a Shinkansen that derailed like that, at times it could not make more than a lap before going off and sometimes maybe a dozen or so laps. Also derailed all over the place so it was hard to find really bad things in the track causing it and we have most all other Shinkansens go for hours and hours with no derailments. Definitely the worst runner I ever have encountered like this and no real fix I could find. I own maybe 50+ Shinkansens.

 

Jeff

[gavino200]

While the Kato N700 coupler is one of the best looking it's abosultely unreliable and prone to breaking. See link

 

Thanks. I won't be in a hurry to get an N700. That might be a good time to try out a Tomix Shinkansen.

[gavino200]

It uses a bit larger diagram connector similar to the 500 but a bit bulkier. It causes the cars to derail A LOT I think by restricting movement at times on the coupling that the puts strain on the trucks/wheels and any track hiccup and it derails. I fiddled with mine a long time and gave up, it was derailing like 100x more than all other Shinkansens. Another club member got one a year or so later and same issue... never had a Shinkansen that derailed like that, at times it could not make more than a lap before going off and sometimes maybe a dozen or so laps. Also derailed all over the place so it was hard to find really bad things in the track causing it and we have most all other Shinkansens go for hours and hours with no derailments. Definitely the worst runner I ever have encountered like this and no real fix I could find. I own maybe 50+ Shinkansens.

 

Jeff

 

Great info. Sounds even worse than the infamous "Morning Daylight" cars. Kato N700 is definitely off me list now.

[JR 500系]

Well, the Kato N700 DO have the titling mechanism though.. which looks kinda nice on curves. But this can also be rectified by using canted tracks ~

 

For shinkansens, my choice is still Tomix. That power coupler system is so cool, the light is almost flicker free and the car runs very smoothly even under extreme low speed conditions...  

[cteno4]

Well I hope it was lemons, but with two of them here with the same problem it was not good. Im usually pretty good at sussing out issues like this and fiddling, but one of the few trains i ever just gave up on! the tomix runs great. Like folks mentioned the tomix diaphragm is not as pretty/prototypical but it works well and coupled with the power couplings/all wheel pickup it makes them a great runner! Im willing to sacrifice a little detail for performance as i love running the trains and usually at shows where you really dont want problems in public!

 

Ive never broken any of the Kato 500 or E4 diaphragm couplers, but so may have and my used Kato E4 came with one broken that is something to consider. when the Kato 500 first came out there was sold quite a bit in the us thru katousa and over the next year there was a big rash of broken couplers and katousa was not doing any repair or parts for it since it was a Kato japan train. caused a big backlash against Kato at the time from folks in the us, but later they started getting the spare parts to repair them. i did a of these repairs just after that for some local folks who had been asking at shows how to get the parts and how to get the couplers in there (its a little fiddly). some also got a plastic pin broken off inside the end of the car that the coupler hooks to on each side to stop the swing each way. you have to put a new pin in with a fine metal pin cut off. again fiddly but easily done with a little tinkering.

 

jeff

[nah00]

Ah trying to order replacement parts through Kato USA for a Japanese train. Did that once and that's what I always go through HS now for spare parts even if I didn't purchase the model from them (they seem more than happy to oblige me with parts shipped via EMS, must have something to do with always having preorders open with them...).

[cteno4]

Yes that's my usual route as well thru Japanese sources! Hs has been good in the past if you have done orders with them to try and special orderA couple of times I could not source a part in japan easily and was lucky to get kato USA to order it and got them in a couple of months.

 

The problem with the 500 was that most folks were us folks who the 500 was their only Japanese train (hence lots of breaking of couplers not being use to fiddling with the many coupler types on Japanese trains) and they were not into ordering anything from Japan (even these days many are terrified at the thought of ordering overseas). They were pissed (rightly so) that katousa would not get parts for them from japan for a train katousa sold or provide warentee support they were use to on their us katousa trains. They later started ordering parts for folks and it's always been off and on a bit with them about this. Seems to depend on who you talk to and just what's going on.

 

The kato japan kato USA relationship seems to always be complex and a tad stressed at times. Mothership-satellite thing, different business cultures, different markets and different cultures.

 

Jeff

[nah00]

I ordered a set of couplers from Kato USA once for a Hamanasu. Not only did it take forever but I paid about 4 times what the parts were worth and I ended with the wrong parts (fortunately I was able to fix them). This was also on the third attempt to order parts from them. Emailed HobbySearch once about getting a replacement instruction for the old 8-car Odoriko set and I had it in my hands by the end of the week free of charge, train was bought second-hand from a LHS.

 

I think part of it is because every time they bring a Japanese train over to the states for sale there's an issue. The last one seems to be the E7 and the big problem with that one seems to be lack of interest from the US market. 

 

I can understand not carrying the parts for the Hamanasu over here but if you're going to release a set for US release at least stock some it's basic and most common parts (motors, bogies, lights, pantographs, couplers) as these are the things that most often get broken/wear out.

 

On a topic-related note though I really prefer the Tomix model mainly because of the all-wheel pick-up but also because the peg and loop couplers scare me a lot less when coupling/uncoupling than Kato's Shinkansen couplers. My only complaints are that the exhibit car is pretty much never able to be seen and the rear red lights seem to diffuse funny (but this seems to be common among Tomix Shinkansens). 

Edited March 1, 2017 by nah00

[medusa]

Hmmm reading all this I feel lucky I don't like the 700 so much... :icon_scratch: